One Book, One City

[Grouch]

Chicago and Seattle were among the first to do it. Chicago picked Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird; Seattle, Russell Banks' The Sweet Hereafter. And now, New York is getting into the swing of things by trying to decide on one book everyone in the city will read simultaneously (so it is hoped), then come together for group discussions, appearances by the author and other feel-good community events.

Author Verlyn Klinkenborg is skeptical of the whole concept. In today's NYT, he writes:
The message behind all of this, of course, is that reading is good for you. No. Exercise and a proper diet are good for you. Reading isn't necessarily good for you at all, not in the uplifting civic ways this project intends. Parents used to complain about children reading too much the way they complain about children doing whatever it is they do too much of these days. The reasons are obvious. Reading — passionate reading — is secretive, profoundly private. The experience tramples you and exalts you at the same time. It makes you insurrectionary, if only in imagination, and it leads you quickly into worlds that never pretend to represent the representative views of ad hoc citywide reading-week committees.
Read entire article here

In this AP story, even the founder of the program worries that the original purpose has been lost somewhere along the line

I just learned yesterday that Alaska (the entire state , mind you, not just Anchorage) has picked a book (an obscure mystery I've never even heard of) for all of its far-flung residents to read. I haven't yet decided if I'll participate, but I have to agree with Mr. Klinkenborg and Ms. Pearl, I think a good concept has gotten out of hand with the intervention of politics and committees.

Have any of you participated in a city-wide reading program? If so, what are your thoughts about how it was handled and the outcome?

[eplovejoy]

Originally posted by Grouch
Reading — passionate reading — is secretive, profoundly private.

Rubbish. People read to their children, thankfully. And it can be great fun to take turns reading aloud with a loved one.

Even the idea behind these regional readings undercuts the idea that reading is private. You might read the book by yourself, but the idea is to join a discussion about it with others, ideally people you've never met before. Far from driving people into solely solitary activity, these events are intended to bring people together.

Buffalo has done this with three books. The first -- with A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines, which I think was also an Oprah's Book Club selection -- was a tremendous success. How that could be possible is a mystery because I wasn't able to take part in any of the many discussions that were held throughout the city.

Then organizers shifted the focus to books with local connections. The second was Joan Murray's Queen of the Mist: The Forgotten Heroine of Niagara about Annie Edson Taylor, the first person who survived going over Niagara Falls. The last one was Lauren Belfer's City of Light, a novel about Buffalo at the time of the 1901 Pan-Am Exposition.

The discussion I attended about the Taylor/Niagara Falls book attracted a lot of colorful would-be adventurers and was quite fun. But two conversations about City of Lights, one of which was hosted by the local historical society and the other by a coffee shop, were dull. Despite the varying audiences, both discussions degenerated into "Buffalo was great, but now it is a pit."

[ms_n]

I've never been to one. Surprise! But, gee, Mr. Grouch,
if it interests you in the slightest I think you should go
just to try it out.

I am thinking that everyone experiences a book differently as
broadly ranged as our personalities, preconceptions, experiences, and ideas. That is what I love about books, we each get something unique from them. It is a private and personal experience in this way. Just look at the varied responses to postings and articles on this board.

But, that is the very reason that such a gathering as this might be
exceptional if properly done. It could be a sharing of ideas,
understandings, and just plain fun. It takes a good
bunch of contributors to make it possible. With you there,
who knows what could happen?

Ay, first Mr. Bush, now this...

[mjfrombuffalo[$]]

Originally posted by eplovejoy


Then organizers shifted the focus to books with local connections. .... The last one was Lauren Belfer's City of Light, a novel about Buffalo at the time of the 1901 Pan-Am Exposition.... But two conversations about City of Lights, one of which was hosted by the local historical society and the other by a coffee shop, were dull.

Could it be... um... ah... because the book STUNK?!

Well it didn't really stink, it just wasn't really good literature either.

I read so much already I don't think I would be overly interested in being peer-pressured into reading the Official Book of the City/State for This Month or what have you. If I want to have a book assigned to me to expand my horizions and discuss the book with others, I'll go to Barnes and Noble and hook up with a club.

mj

[Grouch]

More news on this subject....

Seattle has all their kids reading "Holes"

The folks over at Slate.com asked some literary luminaries what book they would choose to have a whole city read